The new cultivar is a product of a chance discovery. The new variety originated as a chance, whole plant mutation from the, unpatented, variety Guzmania hybrid ‘Marjan.’ The new variety was discovered by the inventor, Hubertus van Schie, a citizen of the Netherlands, in Delgauw, the Netherlands during 2004, in among a commercial planting of the parent variety.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘Schieli’ was first performed in the Netherlands by tissue culture in 2004. ‘Schieli’ has since produced several generations by tissue culture and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.